Karnataka CM Yediyurappa asks Union govt for special grant of Rs 5,495 crore

Politics

Yediyurappa is likely to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP National President J P Nadda on Friday.

PTI

Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on Thursday called on Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and urged the Centre to accept the 14th Finance Commission's recommendation for a special grant of Rs 5,495 crore to the state on account of reduced devolution, an official statement said. Yediyurappa is in the national capital on a two-day visit, with the state's cabinet expansion as the top agenda. He is also meeting several union ministers to discuss the developmental works in Karnataka. In the meeting with the finance minister, Yediyurappa sought release of pending funds under various heads, the statement said. He said the state government has received only Rs 869.40 crore as performance grant to urban and rural local bodies against the recommendation of Rs 2,100.25 crore. He requested for release of the balance amount of Rs 1230.85 crore, the statement added. With regard to the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNGREGA) Scheme, Yediyurappa sought early release of outstanding material dues of nearly Rs 665.09 crore and unskilled wage dues of Rs 54.65 crore The chief minister also appealed to the government to notify an additional 50 days under Section 3(4) of the MNGREGA as Karnataka has faced an unprecedented pandemic. Yediyurappa is likely to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP National President J P Nadda on Friday. New DRDO facility in Shivamogga Yediyurappa also met Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and requested for an independent Laboratory of the Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO) in Shivamogga. The Ministry of Defence has considered the Karnataka government's proposal for establishing a Research Cell of the DRDO at Kuvempu University, but the state is expecting a full-fledged independent DRDO Laboratory in Shivamogga with ample number of scientists and technocrats, the Chief Minister was quoted as saying in an official release. The CM further said the laboratory can explore natural remedial measures for military use from the Western Ghats region. The land required for the construction of the laboratory as well as the official quarters for the personnel will be provided by the state government, it added. Shivamogga is the home turf of Yediyurappa, as he represents Shikaripura assembly constituency in the district, while his son B Y Raghavendra is the MP from Shivamogga Lok Sabha constituency. Yediyurappa, who reached Delhi this afternoon will be there for next two days, during which he is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and several central Ministers regarding the development of the state. He is also expected to meet top BJP leadership including party national President J P Nadda and discuss the much awaited expansion of his cabinet.

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Bengaluru riot: CCB summons Congress corporator Sampath Raj for questioning

Crime

This is the second time Sampath Raj is being questioned in connection with the case.

TNM Staff

Wikimedia Commons

The Central Crime Branch (CCB) on Thursday summoned DJ Halli Congress corporator Sampath Raj to appear for questioning in connection with the Bengaluru riots case. This is the second time the CCB has summoned him for questioning in connection with the case.  Sampath Raj was called in for questioning a day before his personal assistant Arun Raj was arrested by the CCB on August 19. The CCB had at the time said that they found screen recordings of WhatsApp calls made from Arun Raj’s phone to the prime accused in the case, Mujahid.  CCB said that although the calls were made from Arun Raj’s phone, he claimed that the person speaking to Mujahid was allegedly corporator Sampath Raj.  On September 11, the CCB sleuths arrested the prime accused in the case, Mujahid alias Water Mujju. Mujahid allegedly knew many residents of DJ Halli and KG Halli as he used to supply water to their homes. When Pulakeshi Nagar MLA Akhanda Srinivas Murthy had given his statement to the police regarding the arson at his residence and also at his nephew Naveen’s, he had allegedly named Mujahid, CCB sources said.  Mujahid allegedly gathered people and went to Akhanda Srinivas Murthy’s son. He allegedly instigated the mob to set the legislator’s residence on fire. “There were 11 calls made from Arun Raj’s phone to Mujahid on the night of August 14. We have recordings of these calls. But Arun Raj claims that Sampath Raj called Mujahid from his phone. We have some information from Mujahid too, and based on that, we have called him for questioning,” the CCB source said.  Police said that Arun Raj had purchased a new SIM card just a few days before the riots took place. He claimed that he bought the SIM card allegedly on Sampath Raj’s insistence.  On the evening of August 11, a mob had gathered outside Pulakeshinagar MLA Akhanda Srinivas Murthy’s residence after his nephew put up a derogatory Facebook post against Prophet Muhammad. The mob mobilised outside the DJ Halli Police Station demanding that the MLA’s nephew Naveen be arrested and booked immediately. By 9 pm, the mob had begun pelting stones and setting vehicles on fire outside the police station and later set fire to the basement of the building. Three civilians died after police opened fire to control the mob and around 60 police officers were injured. 

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Investors in Bengaluru microbreweries and dance bars part of drug racket: Kumaraswamy

Crime

Former Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy said that several politicians, government officials have allegedly invested in these outlets.

TNM Staff

Representation photo

Former Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy on Thursday said that the probe into the Sandalwood drug case would go into cold storage if the police do not go after investors of dance bars and microbreweries in the city. Kumaraswamy, who had four days ago said that drug peddling allegedly happens at dance bars, on Friday reiterated his statement and also indicated that the police were under pressure from government officials to not probe that aspect of the case.  “You will know the fate of this investigation in another 15 days. If the police only go after drug peddlers, then this case, like many others, will go into cold storage,” Kumaraswamy said while adding, “Forget casinos and nightclubs, the root cause of the drug business is in dance bars and microbreweries in Bengaluru.” HD Kumaraswamy told the media that drugs were allegedly peddled at the dance bar in Le Meridien until 4 am. He also indicated that several investors of microbreweries were also involved in this racket. “The dance bars in Le Meridien, the parties used to happen till 4 am. We’ve seen people fallen on the footpath. On Vittal Mallya Road, there’s a microbrewery in a corner. Who has invested in these dance bars and microbreweries? That needs to be investigated,” he said. He said that people in the government had invested in microbreweries and were allegedly putting pressure on the police to not probe in that direction. “While I do not say that investors are only politicians, even government officials are involved in this. In my opinion, a lot of people who are involved in the government are investing in these microbreweries and police should find out who, then they can find the link to the drug racket. Only if the investigation is honest it can be taken to a logical end or this case will sit in the cold storage,” he added.  Watch HD Kumaraswamy's statement here: On September 14, Kumaraswamy had called for the closure of dance bars claiming that they were the root cause for the drug menace. “There has been ample evidence against dance bars in Bengaluru, where many peddlers and addicts come together for a jaunt. The state government must take steps to stop this by banning the dance bars. I had taken measures to shut down these bars but the coalition government was toppled. Yediyurappa can do it even now, as I have completed all the formalities to issue ban orders,” he had said.   

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Vaccine distribution isn’t as easy as Trump wants people to think

State officials say they're still in the dark about key details, and the CDC chief warned states need billions of dollars more to ensure people get shots.

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Mask skeptic lawmaker takes on side gig overseeing drug company trial

Several bioethicists question Rep. Andy Harris' lack of experience.

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BJP Rajya Sabha MP Ashok Gasti succumbs to COVID-19

Death

He among 25 Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha MPs who tested positive for the coronavirus ahead of the Parliament’s monsoon session.

TNM Staff

Bharatiya Janata Party leader Ashok Gasti, who became a Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament in June, passed away on Thursday in Bengaluru, days after he was infected with the coronavirus. He was admitted to Raichur District Hospital on August 31 after he developed a fever. He tested positive and was shifted to Bengaluru two days later.  He was hospitalised in Manipal Hospital in Bengaluru on September 2 where he passed away 15 days later. His family confirmed to TNM that he developed breathing difficulties and has been on ventilator support.  Confirming his demise, the hospital, in a statement said, “Shri Ashok Gasti, Hon’ble Member of Parliament from Rajya Sabha who was admitted to Manipal Hospital, Old Airport Road on 02.09.2020, diagnosed with severe COVID-19 pneumonia passed away at 10.31pm.He was 55 years old. He was critically ill with multi-organ failure on life support system in the Intensive care unit under constant observation by our expert panel of doctors. We deeply regret the loss and express our condolences to his family and friends.” Ashok Gasti’s family members said that he tested positive for the novel coronavirus on August 30. He developed a fever on August 31 and was admitted to the Raichur District Hospital. On September 2, he was shifted to Manipal Hospital in Bengaluru for treatment. He was put on oxygen support when his levels dropped. He was eventually put on ventilator support.  Condoling Ashok’s death, Union Home Minister Amit Shah tweeted, “Shocked and pained by the untimely demise of Rajya Sabha MP and senior BJP leader from Karnataka, Shri Ashok Gasti ji. Over the years, he served the organization & nation in multiple roles. My deepest condolences are with his family in this hour of grief. Om Shanti Shanti Shanti.” Ashok, 55, hails from Raichur district and was nominated by the BJP as one of two names for the Rajya Sabha MP seat in the biennial elections this year. He came through the ranks in the BJP after working in the party’s Ballari, Koppal and Raichur units.   Ashok Gasti was an active member of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) in 1982 when he was 18 years old. In 1987, he went on to join the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). He was also the president of the BJP’s Yuva Morcha in Raichur district in 1989. He was in-charge of six Lok Sabha and seven Assembly elections for the BJP in Raichur district. Known to be a grassroots party worker, he was appointed as the Raichur District President for the BJP in 2010. He was also the head of the Devaraj Urs Backward Classes Commission in Karnataka for five months before he headed the Karnataka State Backward Classes Commission.  Ashok Gasti was a vocal critic of Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa and was one of the leaders who had openly said that grassroots workers were not treated fairly by him.  In June this year, Ashok Gasti had visited Raichur district and promised development of the region, which is one of the most backward districts in the state. Upon being elected as a Rajya Sabha member, Ashok Gasti had said that his primary objective was to irrigate lands of farmers located in the Krishna and Tungabhadra river basins. He had also promised the constituents of Raichur to drive industrial investment to the district to generate jobs and prevent migration, especially of people from the Dalit, Adivasi and OBC communities.

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Sira byepoll: What it means for Yediyurappa, DK Shivakumar and HD Kumaraswamy

Politics

The Sira byepoll will set the stage for elections to the gram panchayats and BBMP under the new Election Commission guidelines for campaigning during the pandemic.

Naheed Ataulla

Masks, gloves and digital campaigning will mark the byepoll for Sira, a nondescript and semi-arid Assembly constituency in Karnataka, located 122 km from Bengaluru in Tumakuru district, with the Election Commission (EC) expected to announce the poll dates anytime to the Bihar Assembly and 65 other byelections. Even before the announcement of the poll dates, the three principal political parties in Karnataka have got into election mode, with the Congress being the first on the block by finalising its candidate. The BJP is scouting around for a candidate while the JD(S) is considering fielding either the son or wife of its party MLA B Sathyanarayana, whose death in August has necessitated the byepoll. Sira’s byepoll will be a challenge not only to the political parties as the campaign has to be conducted under the new guidelines issued by the EC keeping in mind the pandemic, but also to the leaders of the three parties. The constituency has been represented either by the Congress or the JD(S) with the BJP being in third place in all polls for the past three decades. What does the byepoll mean to BS Yediyurappa, DK Shivakumar and HD Kumaraswamy? Bolstered by the BJP’s victory in KR Pet in Mandya district, a Vokkaliga and JD(S) bastion, in the December 2019 byepolls, Chief Minister Yediyurappa has set his eyes on adding Sira to his kitty of new pockets. Under pressure from his own party men regarding the delay in the cabinet expansion and flak from the opposition in handling the COVID-19 crisis besides other issues, winning Sira is expected to silence his detractors for some time. This will be the first election for DK Shivakumar as KPCC President, though in the past he has been put in charge of several byepolls and emerged victorious. The Congress has announced former Minister TB Jayachandra, who was defeated in the 2018 Assembly polls, as its candidate. For Shivakumar, who is preparing the ground for the next Assembly polls in the state and plans to stake claim for the CM’s post if the Congress gets a majority, Sira is the beginning. The gram panchayat polls, which are conducted on a non-party basis but with candidates being tacitly backed by all parties, are scheduled by the year end, with the BBMP polls expected next year. DKS has put former KPCC President G Parameshwara, who represents Koratagere in Tumakuru district, in charge of the constituency. “We will focus on the BJP’s dismal performance on state issues. The BJP has made the non-filling of Madalur Lake in Sira an issue, when it was during Jayachandra’s time that the lake was filled up for the first time in history,” he said. For the JD(S), Tumakuru is another district with a large Vokkaliga base. Former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda and his son, former chief minister HD Kumaraswamy, who have been trying to keep the JD(S) afloat, face another challenge in retaining Sira that they won in 2018. According to sources, while there is sympathy for the late MLA, Jayachandra also has it in adequate measure due to his defeat. Besides it will be a clash of two Vokkaliga leaders – Kumaraswamy and Shivakumar – both of who are trying to take over the Vokkaliga leadership in the state. The BJP has already begun a door-to-door campaign under its district president SR Suresh Gowda. “We’re waiting for the JD(S) to announce its candidate and then we may field one from the backward classes if the JD(S) also goes in for a Vokkaliga candidate,” party sources said. Why did the Congress lose in 2018? It was an intra-party rivalry between Jayachandra and former MLA KN Rajanna from adjoining Madhugiri constituency, who worked against each other in the polls. Rajanna was reportedly upset that Jayachandra did not help the former’s son to win the legislative council seat from the local authorities’ constituency and is said to have worked against both Jayachandra and his son Santosh Jayachandra who was fielded from Chikkanayakanahalli. How does caste maths work? Since 2008, the Congress and JD(S) have fielded Jayachandra and Sathyanarayana, both Vokkaligas, as their candidates respectively with the former winning in 2008 and 2013. However, Sathyanarayana has been a constant figure since the Janata Parivar days in 1989 winning the seat thrice in the last 31 years. Of the 2.12 lakh voters (figures from 2018), the Kunchitiga Vokkaligas (found in Tumakuru and Chitradurga districts) lead the numbers with 45,000 followed by the Scheduled Castes (left sect) with 30,000, Gollas 23,000, Minorities and Kurubas 18,000 each, backward classes with 16,000, besides others. According to Congress sources, if the Scheduled Castes (both left and right sects), backward classes and minority votes don’t split, the Congress prospects are good. JD(S) sources said while the party is expected to get majority of the Vokkaliga votes, which will also be taken by Jayachandra, a Kunchitiga Vokkaliga, it has to dive into the Congress vote banks if it is to retain the seat. The BJP, being the party in power, has its own advantages by assuring the constituency’s development before the poll date is announced. In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the BJP is said to have got a majority of the Scheduled Caste (left) votes which made it possible for its candidate A Narayanaswamy to get elected from Chitradurga Lok Sabha constituency. Since Sira is an Assembly segment of Chitradurga Lok Sabha constituency, the party is expecting a repeat performance. Naheed Ataulla is a journalist who has covered Karnataka politics for over two decades, and is a former Political Editor of The Times of India. Views expressed are the author’s own.

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